Lord of the Flies

1. Lord of the Flies William Golding

2. William Golding • Born September 19, 1911 in Cornwall, England • Became an English professor in 1935 • Joined the Royal Navy in 1940 • Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983

3. William Golding • As a child he enjoyed hurting others • He was a self-described brat • Later found passion in teaching • Became Lt. Golding during World War II • Inspiration for The Lord of the Flies

4. William Golding on Lord of the Flies • http://vimeo.com/14899170

5. Foundation • Set on a deserted island during an unspecified nuclear war • Set in present time (1950s) • Third person point of view • Focuses on Ralph

6. Key Characters • Ralph- A 12 year old boy who attempts to coordinate civilization on the island. Represents man’s instinct for order as opposed to savagery. Considered the protagonist of the novel. • Jack- As the novel’s antagonist, Jack embodies the savage nature of humans. Jack becomes leader of the hunters and increasingly lusts for more power and cruelty. • Simon- Simon is quiet and the only naturally “good” character on the island. He is not swayed by society and maintains a connection to nature.

7. Key Characters • Piggy- An intellectual and Ralph’s “right-hand man”. He is very innovative, but later on dies in the novel. Represents the rational nature of humankind. • Roger- A sadistic lieutenant to Jack, Roger is cruel and murders Piggy by pushing a rock onto him. • Sam and Eric- Twins who are joined at the hip and ally with Ralph. Commonly called “Samneric” by the group, they eventually are coerced into an alliance with Jack.

8. Plot Overview • Plane carrying British schoolboys is shot down over a deserted island • Ralph is chosen as island leader due to the fact that he has a summoning conch shell • Jack is chosen to hunt food for the group • Signal fire is lit to alert passing ships • Fire is left unattended and burns a large area of the island • Ralph is responsible and stays on the boys to continue lighting the fire and gathering food

9. Plot Overview • Ship passes by one day, but due to negligence the signal fire was burned out • Jack returns with his first kill and all the hunters are displaying a strange frenzy for savagery • Rumors of a monster on the island begin to plague the boys soon after this • A parachutist lands on the island and the boys mistake him for a beast • The boys organize a hunting expedition, during which Jack persuades many boys to join him and shun Ralph

10. Plot Overview • Jack declares himself king of the hunters and violently leads a ritual to kill a sow and decapitate it • Simon has a vision that the pig head (now covered with flies) tells him that he will never escape the Lord of the Flies which exists in all men • Simon now understands that the parachutist is not the beast, but the beast lies within every boy • The boys kill Simon (with their bare hands), who they mistake for the beast

11. Plot Overview • Jack and his hunters launch an attack on Piggy and Ralph and their followers, killing Piggy with a boulder in the process • The entire group turns on Ralph, who is now being hunted savagely like an animal • Right when Ralph collapses on the beach, ready to accept his fate, a Naval officer appears, summoned by the signal fire • The boys all sob with knowledge that they are saved

12. Connections to History • Closely related to the Royal Navy • Inspired by World War II

13. Literary Devices • Foreshadowing: When Jack hesitates to kill the pig • Comparisons: "..taken away its life like a long satisfying drink." • Allegory: The whole novel represents the nature of man • Imagery: Very descriptive about the island setting

14. Symbolism • Conch: Civilization and order • Glasses: Power of science • Beast: Primal savagery that exists in all mankind • Lord of the Flies: Satan figure, evokes the beast in all men, a physical manifestation of the beast • Ralph, Piggy, Simon, Jack, Roger: Stand for different instincts and traits in each human being

15. Themes and Motifs • Civilization vs. Savagery • Loss of Innocence • Biblical Parallels • Pristine place introduced to the corruption of evil • Simon and Lord of the Flies stand for a confrontation between Jesus and the Devil

16. Quotes • “Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law.” • “His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink.”

17. Quotes • “What I mean is . . . maybe it’s only us.” • “There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I’m the Beast. . . . Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! . . . You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are the way they are?” • “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy.”